Remember when congressional Republicans said they were done trying to defund Obamacare? That didn’t last very long.

The House and Senate recently passed competing Zika funding bills, with Senate Republicans passing a bill that grants most of President Obama’s funding request and House Republicans passing a bill that grants about half as much.

The two sides went to conference with each other to resolve their differences which, among other things, included a House Republican demand to off-set the spending with cuts to other programs.

The $1.1 billion figure is the amount the Senate approved last month. The measure calls for $750 million in spending cuts to offset the funding for Zika efforts, including $543 million in unused funds from implementation of President Barack Obama’s health care law and $107 million in cuts to leftover Ebola funding. […]

One of the provisions opposed by Democrats blocks funds in the measure from going to Planned Parenthood for birth control services for women at risk of becoming infected with the virus. The measure also contains a provision backed by the House that would ease rules on pesticide permitting requirements.

These Congressional Children are undoubtedly aware that neither Democrats or President Obama will support or sign this bill. Senator Chuck Schumer said this move proves Republicans are “incapable” of “actually governing the country” while Minority Leader Harry Reid said Democrats will filibuster the bill.

The House has just entered recess and will not return until after the July 4th holiday and, even when they do return, it’s unlikely a bill will be passed in short order.

We could be halfway through the Summer before our Republican-controlled Congress sends a bill to the president’s desk. It’s possible they may never. They would rather take another crack at Obamacare than address a public health crisis that will impact their own constituents.